Manduca florestan male courtesy of Dan Janzen.

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Comments, suggestions and/or additional information are welcomed by Bill.

TAXONOMY: Family: Sphingidae, Latreille, 1802 Subfamily: Sphinginae, Latreille, [1802] Tribe: Sphingini, Latreille, 1802 Genus: Manduca Hubner, [1807] ........... Species: florestan (Stohl, 1782)

DISTRIBUTION:

Manduca florestan (Wing span: 3 7/8 - 4 1/8 inches (approximate wingspan: males: 100-115mm; females 110-130mm), proboscis 61mm) flies from the mountains of
southern Arizona, New Mexico, and the lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas through
Mexico: Jalapa; Quintana Roo: Cozumel
Belize: Corozol, Cayo, Toledo;
Guatemala: Izabal (JM);
El Salvador;
Nicaragua: Jinotega, Maltagapa, Managua, Masaya, Granada, Zelaya, Rio San Juan, probably everywhere;
Costa Rica: Guanacaste, Puntarenas, Lemon, Alajuela, Heredia, Cartago (GK), San Jose;
and Panama: Panama: Radisson (TJ); into South America:
Venezuela;
Surinam specimen type locality;
French Guiana: Saul; Kaw;
Ecuador: Loja (BF);
Peru;
Bolivia: La Paz, Santa Cruz;
Paraguay: Neembucu (AOC); Concepcion; San Pedro; Paraguari; Canindeyu;
Brazil: southern Maranhao; Minas Gerais;
Argentina: Corrientes, Jujuy, Misiones, Salta, Santa Fe, Tucuman; and
Bolivia: La Paz (GE).

Daniel Rojas Lanus sent me an image from Iguazu, Misiones Province, Argentina. The specimen was taken January 17, 1997.

Andres Oscar Contreras sent me an image from Pilar, Neembucu, Paraguay.

Manduca florestan, Boca Tapada, Alejuela, Costa Rica,
June 5, 2008, 957m, courtesy of Gernot Kunz.

Manduca florestan, NP Piedras Blancas, Puntarenas, Costa Rica,
July 2, 2008, 65m, courtesy of Gernot Kunz.

Manduca florestan, El Copan, Cartago, Costa Rica,
March 6, 2019, 1047m, courtesy of Gernot Kunz.

Visit Manduca florestan, Osununu Private Reserve, Misiones, Argentina, October 14, 2009, courtesy of Ezequiel Bustos.

Visit Manduca florestan, Camp Caiman, near Kaw, French Guiana, April 29, 2011, courtesy of Andres Urbas.

Visit Manduca florestan, Radisson, Panama, Panama, April 20, 2015, Tony James.

Evan Rand writes, May 2010: "I've encountered enough fresh Manduca florestan in Gila and Navajo Cos, Arizona, in the past two years that I'm pretty sure they're breeding there, which is considerably farther north than most other information indicates."

Manduca florestan, Camp Caiman, near Kaw, French Guiana,
April 29, 2011, courtesy of Andres Urbas.

The upperside of the forewing is gray to yellowish gray to brown, with whitish patches and black markings, including two dashes running from the cell out toward the margin.The reddish brown patch just outside the cell and above the dashes is the most distinguishing character. Structurally very similar to Manduca lichenea. Individual variation means identification is not always easy. Forewing with a greenish tint in fresh specimens, which can fade to clayish yellow; black discal streaks between veins M3 and CuA2 always very prominent against the pale ground colour, unlike in Manduca lichenea. CATE The upperside of the hindwing is dark brown with a brown-centered white bar at the hind edge. Ceratomia sonorensis, a similar species, is smaller and has dark streaks on the forewing. Image, copyright, courtesy of Steve Graser, Yasuni, Ecuador September 11, 2002 - 12:29 AM.

Manduca florestan, 99mm, Calilegua, Jujuy, Argentina,
November 16, 2009, 750m, courtesy of Nigel venters.

FLIGHT TIMES:

Manduca florestan adults fly as a single brood from late June to early August in the United States. In Costa Rica adults are taken every month of the year.

Manduca florestan, Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico,
courtesy of Bedros Orchanian.

In Bolivia thay have been reported in March and October-December.

Manduca florestan, Brasil, Poté, Minas Gerais,
November 11, 2004, courtesy of Frederik Goussey, id by Jean Haxaire.

ECLOSION:

Pupae probably wiggle to surface from subterranean chambers just prior to eclosion.

Manduca florestan female courtesy of Dan Janzen.

SCENTING AND MATING:

Females call in the males with a pheromone released from a gland at the tip of the abdomen. Adults take nectar from flowers, including Plumeria rubra in Costa Rica.

Manduca florestan, Chalalan Lodge, River Beni, PN Alto Madidi, La Paz, Bolivia,
August 2012, courtesy of Graham Ekins.

Manduca florestan, Chalalan Lodge, River Beni, PN Alto Madidi, La Paz, Bolivia,
August 2012, courtesy of Graham Ekins.

EGGS, LARVAE, PUPAE:

Larvae feed on trumpetbush (Tecoma species) and fiddlewood (Citharexylum species).

In Costa Rica, Dan Janzen reports the following hosts: Stachytarpheta frantzii, Callicarpa acuminata, Aegiphylla martinicensis and Citharexylum costaricensis of the Verbenaceae family, Tabebuia ochracea, Callichlamys latifolia, Cydista heterophylla, Cydista diversifolia, Crescentia alata, Macfadyena unguis-cati and a vine of the Bignoniaceae family and Cordia panamensis and Cordia alliodora of the Boraginaceae family and Chionentis panamensis of the Olacaceae family.

In Brazil, larvae have been reported on Lantana camara, Pyrostegia venusta and Vitex megapotamica. HOSTS

Translucent green eggs are deposited singly or in pairs and possibly in small groups.

Manduca florestan egg, Costa Rica, courtesy of Dan Janzen.

Hatchlings and first/second instar larvae are thin and long, and would blend in well with leaf veins on the undersides of foliage.

Manduca florestan first/second instar, Costa Rica, courtesy of Dan Janzen.

Manduca florestan first/second instar, Costa Rica, courtesy of Dan Janzen.

In the third instar oblique, white, lateral slashes are evident on at least the first and last abdominal segments. The thorax and anal horn are notably granulous.

Manduca florestan third instar, Costa Rica, courtesy of Dan Janzen.

Manduca florestan third instar, Costa Rica, courtesy of Dan Janzen.

Manduca florestan third instar, Costa Rica, courtesy of Dan Janzen.

Manduca florestan fourth instar, Costa Rica, courtesy of Dan Janzen.

Yellow side slashes often occur on larvae feeding on foliage with yellowish underside veins. In the penultimate instar, these white, lateral slashes are accentuated.

Top and bottom larval images courtesy of Bruce Walsh.

Larvae pupate on their backs in typical Manduca fashion. Moths emerge in about thirty to fifty days.

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